Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

A Selection from the Vocal Compositions of Mozart 1

Between 1810 and 1816, Clementi published in London three volumes entitled "A Selection from the Vocal Compositions of Mozart", one of the first systematic publishing initiatives aimed at spreading Mozart's vocal production in England. The transcriptions, adapted to the taste and performance needs of the British public, highlight a significant stylistic and didactic mediation, with reworked accompaniments and – a particularly important fact – the creation from scratch of poetic texts in English, completely independent of the originals, entrusted to the poet David Thomson. The collection reflects once again the dual commercial and pedagogical function of Clementi's publishing activity, and constitutes an important source for the study of Mozart's reception in London musical culture in the early nineteenth century.